When I was first admitted to Jacobs, one pressing concern I had was about financial security and working experience. Luckily, I was assured right away by the admissions office that many students here at Jacobs decide to combine their studies with part-time jobs on campus. However, I had no idea of the wide range and variety of student jobs available here or how to apply for a job at Jacobs. Hopefully after reading this article, you’ll be excited and prepared to apply for whatever student job fits you best.
The application process is quite straightforward here. Every student regularly uses the online platform, CampusNet, where grades, class schedules, and messages from professors are posted. There, you can also find the list of available on-campus jobs and their descriptions. A student in Germany can only work for 37.5 hours each month without violating either their visa or the German “mini-job” rules which allow part-time workers to work without paying taxes. The hourly wage at Jacobs is 12.00 Euro so students can theoretically make a maximum of 450 Euro per month. Many students even have two jobs, for example as a teacher’s assistant and in another office to make up 37.5 hours in total. You can also find jobs with significantly less hours if you just want to make a little extra money.
If you find a job you are interested in, you can email the contact address listed in the description for more information, along with your CV. Typically, you would then be interviewed if the position is still open and the supervisor is interested. Contracts are typically renewed every semester so during school breaks is the best time to check the job posting board. Some professors will also advertise if they are looking for assistants in class.
It is pretty rare for students in their first semester to get jobs and I personally would not recommend applying then, as the first semester can be overwhelming while adjusting to a new culture and study schedule. During the second semester is usually when students begin to apply. Some professors will only hire assistants from the major of the class and they typically look for third-year students as assistants, so don’t get discouraged if you cannot find a position despite having good grades.
So what type of jobs are available here at Jacobs? There are typically three categories for jobs here: teachers’ assistants (or TAs), research assistants, and student assistants (or SAs).
Teachers’ assistants are typically second and third year students who have completed the specified course with a grade in the top 10% of the class. Oftentimes, professors pick between one and three students to be an assistant for all of the classes they teach. These assistants have responsibilities such as making copies and printing course materials, giving tutorials or hosting end-of-term study sessions, answering students’ questions over email or Teams, and posting course materials to Campusnet or Teams.
Research assistants also regularly work alongside professors but do not interact with the students in their classes. You typically must have had this professor in a class before to be hired. Professors in all sorts of fields from psychology to history have research assistants. The tasks widely vary depending on what the type of research is. Examples of responsibilities research assistants could have, include: helping a professor conduct experiments, making copies, translating documents, making literature reviews, or writing reports.
Student assistant positions are likely the easiest to get at Jacobs, as there are so many available for students with a wide range of skills. Almost every department has student assistants, including Housing, International Programs (Study Abroad), Admissions, Community Impact Project, Counselling, and the IRC (Library). Each department has typically 1-4 assistants, with the larger departments having 6-8. The amount of positions available will be listed in each job description so you can see how competitive they are.
At the library, you could get a job checking out students' books and reshelving or in the IT department. At the admissions office, you could be assisting with Jacobs’ Corporate Communications department by working with the Jacobs Instagram (or the blog!), giving campus tours, or attending college fairs. Each of the four colleges has a “college office” where 4-6 students living in that college work. They do tasks such as holding office hours, lending out the college equipment, and organising or hosting activities and events. There are also so many unique jobs on campus, like being a security guard or bartending at the on-campus bar (The Other Side) or being a trainer or lifeguard at the gym. Community Impact Projects have hired Virtual Reality or programming specialists and the Society, Media, and Politics Media Center hires videographers, editors, and social media assistants.
Wherever your skills and interests lie, you can definitely find a suitable job here on campus. We hope to see you working here soon!
BY Kenna Rosalie Howorth (UK & USA) | CLASS OF 2023
